By Drew Grant 5/20 12:45pm

The Real Housewives of New York City

The cast of RHONY, approximately. (Bravo)

Real Housewives of New York City Will Go On: Cast Filming in NYC, But What’s the Headcount?

Despite the finger-biting anxiety of the last two weeks, when negotiations between Bravo and the members of The Real Housewives of New York City broke down, causing the network to threaten cancellation, it looks like all’s well in the RHONY world after all.

Reports have seen the women out and about together with a camera crew at various NYC locales, including the studio of celebrity trainer Will Torres.

But the question remains: will all the Real Housewives be making it back for the next season? Read More

By Drew Grant 5/13 11:37am

Exclusive

RHONY, Season 5 (Bravo)

Exclusive: RHONY Contracts Still Unsigned as of This Morning; Tensions Still Running High for New Season

Last week it looked like The Real Housewives of New York City could get shut down for good when all six of the cast members refused to sign their contracts. Shooting for the series was supposed to commence last Wednesday (according to several news outlets), but was delayed when negotiations stalled.

Thank goodness it might not be over. According to Deadline, RHONY ladies Carole Radziwill, Ramona Singer, LuAnn de Lesseps, Heather Thomson, Aviva Drescher and Sonja Morgan all received modest pay increases, though how “modest” that money is definitely on a case-by-case basis; Ramona Singer made $500,000 last season and was holding out for a million, while a source close to the negotiations told The New York Observer that The New York Post’s quoted “average” payout for a housewife–$65,000–was “in the ballpark” of what was being offered this time around.

According to an industry insider, however, none of the ladies have officially signed their contracts yet, so don’t be jumping for joy just yet. Read More

By Jessica Shiraz 8/22/12 2:08pm

Shindigger

Ramona Singer and Sonja Tremont-Morgan. (Photo by Lenny Stucker)

Of Time and the Country: The Michael J. Fox Foundation Benefit at the East Hampton Studio

After some time spent roving the idyllic Hamptons lanes last Saturday, The Observer found ourselves at a charity gala honoring the music of Billy Joel. The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Team Fox had teamed up with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to put on the snazzy soiree.

Onstage, a Billy Joel tribute band was playing at considerable volume. We asked the brave souls seated near the front how they felt about the idea of setting up a tribute band.

M.C. and host for the evening Gina Giordan was keen to point out that she did not choose the band, and was unconvinced that anyone could compare to the legendary Billy Joel. Read More

By Drew Grant 4/06/12 9:15am

The Real Housewives of New York City

The RHONY cast: Ramona Singer, LuAnn de Lesseps, Aviva Drescher, Caroline Radzwill, and Heather Thomson (Getty Images)

Real Housewife of New York City’s Aviva Drescher Spills About New Season’s Drama

With the 5th season of The Real Housewives of New York City airing June 4th, the first teaser trailer has given fans a lot to look forward to. Not only are there three new Housewives—Aviva Drescher, Heather Thomson, and Carole Radziwill—but the sneak peak shown earlier this week has everything from prosthetic, skinny-dipping, and an elderly gentleman suggesting that he could give one of the ladies her “first squirting orgasm.” And a lot of booze, to be sure.

Ms. Drescher, an advocate for amputees (she herself only having one leg) appears to play a major part in the drama of the season. The trailer begins with Ramona Singer asking if the toes on her prosthetic are “real” and ends with Ms. Drescher calling the tenured Housewife “white trash.”

“I regret having said those words,” Ms. Drescher told The Observer by phone yesterday. “I have a much larger vocabulary than that.” Read More

By The Editors 10/11/11 7:12pm

Opening Shot

Housewife de Lesseps.

Seasons Change in New York

Don’t let the warm weather fool you, we are officially in Fall season mode. You can always tell the changing of the seasons by the changing of the leaves, or at least by the changing of the hair colors of The Real Housewives of New York—which we anticipate will take place any day now in some of the city’s higher end hair care establishments as LuAnn de Lesseps and Ramona Singer reap the rewards of their cast-off cast members by doubling their salary. The two will now be getting $500,000 each to throw champagne in each other’s faces. Who says that there are no high-paying jobs anymore? Rather unbelievably, fellow New Yorkers, these are the 1%. Read More

By Drew Grant 9/20/11 3:21pm

Reality TV

Bye-bye Simon!

The Real Housewives of New York City Cuts Mean No More Simon van Kempen

Stop the presses! Four of the ladies from Bravo’s The Real Housewives of New York City have been cut from the new season, so Alex McCord, Kelly Bensimon, Jill Zarin, and Cindy Barshop will no longer be around to air all their crazy drama and terrible brand image over the airwaves (unless they, like Bethenny Frankel, get a spin-off show). That leaves only two of the original NYC‘ers in the cast, Countess LuAnn de Lesseps and Ramona Singer. Also avoiding the chopping block is Sonja Morgan who is bankrupt, which is a known requirement for being on a Housewives show.

But the real tragedy will not be losing these four women — who we’re sure will be replaced by equally entertainingly desperate social-climbers — but the lack of Simon van Kempen, who has been the best part of the show since its inception. Read More

By Alexandria Symonds 9/13/10 10:05pm

Carmen Electra Wants a Trenchcoat and a Tropical Vacation

We caught up with Carmen Electra at the afterparty for Rebecca Taylor‘s collection yesterday at Hudson Terrace; Ms. Electra, despite the rain, looked lovely and nonplussed. “It’s not been traumatic to the hair,” she said, scrunching her mane with one hand to prove it. “It’s better if it gets a little damp.”

Ms. Electra had Read More

By Sharon Barbour 7/28/09 9:39pm

Woof, Woof! Reality-Show Riff-Raff Enjoy a Fashion Show for Fido

Dog lovers turned out in packs to Animal Fair magazine’s 10th Annual Paws for Fashion Show, benefiting the Humane Society of New York, at the M2 Ultra Lounge on Monday, July 22.

During a canine-centric fashion show featuring doggie designs by Oscar de la Renta, Roberto Cavalli, Marc Bouwer and others, Olympic fencers Tim Read More

By Molly Fischer 6/09/09 10:41pm

Ker-splash! Ted Danson Ditches Eco-Benefit; Housewives Don Cerulean Hues

On Tuesday, June 9, the conservation group Oceana joined the clothing company Nautica and Vanity Fair magazine to host a blue-carpet party at Hudson Terrace, celebrating the official recognition of World Oceans Day by the United Nations.

New York Ranger Brandon Dubinsky was among the earliest arrivals, looking as clean and eager as if Read More